Surprisingly Easy Ways to Steep Green Tea

By Erika Robertson

Green tea might be the most luxurious and delicate of all tea types. It boasts thousands of different flavor profiles from earthy and grassy to toasty, flowery, or fruity. A majority of professional tea connoisseurs consider green tea their favorite because of its complexity and the art that’s involved in making each unique batch.

Steeping green tea is considered an art form in itself and for good reasons: steeping your tea in water that isn’t the perfect temperature may damage the nutrients or ruin the flavor of the tea. You also have to use the right kind of fresh water to really taste the authentic flavor of your tea. You can read more about using the right kind of water here. 

If you want to know how to make green tea, this is the ultimate guide for you. We will teach you how to make the perfect hot and iced green tea. We will also teach you how to make ice green tea — which is slightly different than iced — and finally teach you a foolproof way to brew green tea using the super simple cold brewed method.

Steeping green tea is easy and effortless when you have the steps and materials at your fingertips. Here is a list of supplies you’ll need, and step-by-step instructions to make any green tea you’re craving. 

What You’ll Need:

• Teapot or tea pitcher
• Thermometer (if your tea kettle doesn’t have one built in!)
• Infuser if it’s not included with your tea vessel above
• Loose-leaf green tea of choice
• Fresh water that hasn’t been previously boiled and cooled
• Tea measuring spoon - optional
• Timer - optional

How to Make Hot Green Tea

Learning how to make green tea properly will open up a whole new world for your tastebuds. This is the quickest way to steep tea from start to finish and the most traditional way most people drink tea around the world. Hot tea may be the best way to taste the subtle nuances of every kind of green tea, because heat may increase the perception of flavor compared to cold tea.

Step 1: Heat Your Water

Warm your fresh water between 175 and 180 degrees Fahrenheit. Check with a thermometer. Your green tea might be exceptionally delicate and require an even lower water temperature, so check the container just to be sure.

The water temperature is very important when learning how to steep green tea. Too hot and it will scorch the leaves and release a bitter flavor. Too cold and it will not steep the leaves enough, leaving your tea tasting watered down and weak. 

Step 2: Warm Your Vessel

It’s best to heat your teapot or pitcher and infuser with a splash of hot water before steeping your tea. If you pour all your water into your vessel without heating it, you will make the temperature of the water drop and your tea leaves will not steep enough. 

Simply add a good dash of water to your tea vessel and swirl it around for about 10 to 15 seconds, until hot. Empty out the water.
Tip: If you use a Teabloom teapot, tea kettle, or tea pitcher, you can heat your water directly in your vessel on the stovetop and skip this step.

Step 3: Measure and Relax Your Tea Leaves

For every 8 ounces or 1 cup of water measure about 1 teaspoon of loose-leaf tea. This is a good starting point if you don’t have any specific instructions on your tea container.

The amount of tea leaves you add depends on the kind of leaf, the strength of the tea, and your own tastebuds. Follow the instructions on the package and adjust according to your personal preference for strength and flavor. You may want less tea leaves or more tea leaves depending on your preferred taste for stronger or weaker tea. 

Using a tea measure spoon, add your tea leaves to your warmed infuser. Allow the tea leaves to sit for about 30 seconds in the hot vessel. They may start to unfurl from the heat.

Step 4: Pour the Water and Steep Your Tea

Fill your tea vessel with the appropriate amount of water for your tea leaves. Let your tea steep for the suggested amount of time. Set a timer.

Step 5: Remove Your Tea Leaves

Removing your tea leaves at the appropriate time is crucial if you want to enjoy every single sip of tea from start to finish. Steeping your green tea leaves inside your vessel for too long can release bitter tannins and create a chalky feeling. 

When the timer is finished, take the tea leaves out using your tea infuser and set them to the side. You’ll want to steep your tea for about 3 minutes.  
Tip: If you remove your tea leaves completely from the water, you can re-steep them 1 or 2 more times. The trick is to stop the steeping process so you can enjoy a second helping of tea. Just make sure to steep the second batch a little longer if you want to enjoy a similar strength.

Step 6: Add Accompaniments and Enjoy

Green tea is traditionally enjoyed on its own, without the need for additional ingredients like honey or lemon. But feel free to add whatever you like to your cup of tea.

How to Make Iced Green Tea

Iced tea is as American as apple pie — especially iced green tea! Did you know that for the longest time, green tea was the go-to base for American iced tea? 

It was green tea that was thrown over the boats in the Boston Harbor — not black. But it wasn’t until WW2 that black tea leaves’ availability surpassed green tea — and black iced tea became the new American staple. 

You can ice any kind of green tea you wish — from Japanese sencha, to jasmine pearl, and your favorite tropical fruity blend. Iced green tea on a hot day might be one of the most satisfying drinks you’ll ever have the pleasure of sipping. We love iced tea all year round and even fancy a glass of it next to a roaring fireplace in winter. 

To make iced green tea, you will follow the exact same steps as above for hot tea, but with a few adjustments:

Add a Lot More Tea, Please!

When you measure your tea leaves for iced tea, add 2 or even 3 times more than you would for hot tea. If you don’t you’ll be left with a weak tea that tastes like lightly flavored water. You can also let your tea steep longer, but you risk releasing bitter tannins so it’s best to remove your tea leaves at the same time as you would hot tea which is around 3 minutes.

Ice Your Tea Immediately

Once your tea is done steeping remove the tea leaves immediately and ice your tea. Transfer your steeped hot tea to a tea pitcher with plenty of room to spare. 

Flash-chill your tea with ice. Most of your ice will melt, but because your tea is so much stronger, your ice will even out the strength of your tea. Serve your iced tea on its own or add fruit and mint leaves for a fresh spin.

Ice Green Tea Variation

Did you know there’s a second way to make iced tea? It’s called ice tea — without the “d”. Why? Because you don’t throw ice in your tea after it’s finished steeping. 

Make your green tea the same as you would a hot pot of tea. But once your tea is done steeping, store your tea in your fridge and wait for it to cool down without adding any ice. 

Here are the adjustments you need to make for ice tea:

Add Only a Little More Tea

Add just a little extra dash of tea leaves to make it slightly stronger than you would hot tea. Steep your tea for the same amount of time — about 3 minutes — and remove the tea leaves. This method is great because it doesn’t waste too many tea leaves, unlike the iced method.

Let it Cool Down Slowly

The trick to making ice green tea is to let it cool slowly. With iced tea, you use ice to flash-chill your tea. With ice tea, you won’t have to guess how strong your tea will be and you won’t have to worry about needing to use extra ice for the cooling process. 

Once it’s chilled completely, serve it in cups over some ice. Because you added a little more tea leaves to the pot, your tea flavor should remain strong even after the addition of a little ice. 

How to Make Cold Brew Green Tea

A new steeping method has taken the tea world by storm. Cold brewing is a technique that started with coffee, but the benefits of cold brewing green tea are starting to catch on! This is a lovely steeping method for how to make green tea — it’s perfect for beginners because there is no risk of releasing bitter flavors in your tea, unlike the hot steeping methods above. 

Steeping delicate green tea in hot water can release bitter flavors if not done properly. Cold brewing green tea may help mitigate the bitter flavor and also release even less caffeine than hot-steeped green tea. Because green tea is so incredibly fragile, the flavors are more rounded and pronounced when you cold brew it.

Making cold brew green tea is super simple, it just takes much longer than iced or hot tea, so you need patience:

Step 1: Measure Your Tea

For every 1.5 cups of water (or 12 ounces) use 1 tablespoon of tea. This doesn’t have to be an exact amount, and you may find that when you learn how to make green tea, certain types will need more or less tea leaves to reach the desired strength you prefer.

Step 2: Pour the Water and Steep Your Tea

Use cold fresh water and fill your vessel before placing it in the refrigerator. Some higher quality sencha teas may need only 4 to 6 hours for steeping. Other teas may take anywhere from 8 to 10 hours to steep all the way. This part of the process depends on your personal preference, too.

Step 3: Remove Your Tea Leaves and Enjoy!

Remove your tea leaves once your tea has reached your desired strength. Serve your chilled cold brew tea in a cup filled with ice or enjoy it on its own.

Make the Perfect Green Tea with Teabloom

Health, wellness, and teatime perfection are what motivate the founders of Teabloom. From the very start, their mission has been about delivering the highest quality teaware to tea lovers everywhere — to give you an exceptional and pure tea experience that enhances flavor and nutrients within your tea. 

Their borosilicate glass teaware is revolutionary. Not only is this glass material chemical-free and sustainable, but it’s affordable, beautiful, and easy to care for. If you’re seeking a way to level up your tea routine, look no further than the exquisite hand-crafted selection from Teabloom. 

What kind of green tea will you make first? Let us know in the comments below!

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